The Joy of Kale

The menu at my market concession stand (and at my shop)is centered around a mix of seasonal vegetables cooked on the grill. During past years we've used mostly local produce in the summer, when it's abundant, and industrial ingredients from California or Mexico in the winter.

This winter we've been doing it differently. It all started one day in late August when I saw the first winter squash of the season, a little green kuri squash, and I couldn't help buying it. I'd intended it for personal use but it got mixed up with the veggies for the business, and my employee prepped it. She left the skin on and scooped out the seeds. Then she cut it into chunks that would fit in our industrial food processor and sliced it really thinly that way.

I'd always figured that winter produce would take too long to prep, and wouldn't fully cook on the grill. That first squash shattered my preconceptions, and we've been building on in ever since. Now we're using beets--red, gold, and chiogga--and all kinds of winter squash. This week we'll add some carrots.

The response has been exciting. People tell me they like this mix even more than the flamboyant summer offerings. The colors are gorgeous, even more eye catching than the autumn patty pans, which have lots of green and yellow on the outside but are mostly white on the inside.

I can't believe I've never done this before.

Shivering at the Winter Market

This winter I've been vending at two different farmers' markets: Ballard and the U District. A few years ago this wouldn't have even been possible. Only one market--Ballard--ran all year. Many weekends during its first winter of 2001-2002, the Ballard Market only had one vendor. The folks who ran it persevered, using the mantra, "If we build it, they will come."

Ballard in the winter is nothing like Ballard in the height of the summer, but each year it's been a lot better than the year before.The key to any market being successful is for it to become part of people's routines. That's only going to happen if customers can count on vendors being there week after week, month after month, year after year.

As more customers have come, more vendors have felt that it's worth their while to sell. Once the farmers discovered that there's a market for their winter crops, they began planting more year round. Customers found more to buy and were more likely to come back. Vendors also explored ways to preserve their summer produce by drying, canning, and pickling, so they'd have more to offer in the winter.

Once Ballard showed that winter markets were viable, the administrators of other venues began expanding their schedules as well. Customers had more options, and the idea of shopping outdoors on a winter day no longer seemed as strange.

I hope it all continues to grow. Considering the momentum we have at this point, I can't imagine any other outcome.